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Chapter 68: The Crack in Trust
publish date:
2026-05-16 20:49:38
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Blood and Badge Chapter 68: The Crack in Trust
Villa Isabella, Montes SabinosDays LaterTrust was a luxury Elena couldn't afford.Despite Roberto's words, despite his promise not to keep any more secrets, the doubt remained. It wasn't just him. Sofia's letter said someone was inside, and Elena had learned not to ignore her sister's warnings.That morning, while having breakfast with Dante, she received a message from an unknown number."The truth isn't always what it seems. Look in the garden, by the fountain. You'll find what you're looking for there."Elena showed the message to Dante."Does anyone know anything?""Shall we go?""Let's go."They went out into the garden. The fountain was dry, as it always was in winter. But next to it, leaning against the stone, was a small, unmarked wooden box.Elena opened it.Inside, a photograph.The same one she'd seen in Roberto's room. Sofia with Dante's father. But this time, the image was clearer. The drunk man in the background had a defined face.And he wasn't a stranger.It was Anto
Blood and Badge Chapter 67: The Echo of Silence
Villa Isabella, Montes SabinosOne month laterWinter was approaching with slow but steady steps.Elena was in the library, organizing Sofia's last documents. She had read them so many times she knew them by heart, but each time she found something new. A word, a phrase, a clue she had overlooked.That afternoon, she found a letter she hadn't seen before.It was at the bottom of the box, stuck to the inside of the lid, as if someone had tried to hide it. The handwriting was Sofia's, but more shaky, more urgent.“Elena:If you find this, it's because someone else is reading my letters. Someone who shouldn't.Don't trust everyone. Not everyone around you is who they seem.There's someone inside. Someone who knows too much. Someone who was there when it all happened.Find him. Before he finds you.S.”Elena read the letter three times.Someone inside. Someone who knows too much.She looked around. The library was empty. Only Bruno, asleep by the fireplace.But suddenly, the house seemed
Blood and Badge Chapter 66: The Return Home
Villa Isabella, Sabine MountainsOne week laterAutumn had arrived in full force, painting the mountains red and gold.Elena was in the garden, pruning the roses that had survived the first cold weather. The return to normalcy felt strange, like a suit that never quite fit. They had won. Di Stefano was in prison. Vittorio too. The accomplices, one by one, were falling.But the peace was heavy.Dante came out with two cups of coffee.You're thinking.Always.About what?About how I don't know what to do with the calm.Dante smiled. It's a good feeling when you get used to it.Have you gotten used to it?No. But I'm learning.Bruno came over and rested his head in her lap. Matteo was running after a kite, with Giulia watching him from the terrace.Life, at last, was just that: life.The LetterThat afternoon, Carla brought the mail.Among the bills and magazines, an envelope with no return address, with Elena's name handwritten on it.Elena opened it carefully.“Dear Elena:By the time
Blood and Badge Chapter 65: The Ruins of the Empire
Rome, ItalyOne week after the leakThe city was seething.The newspapers were full of it. Francesco Di Stefano, The Lawyer, had controlled the Italian justice system for four decades. Judges dismissed, prosecutors suspended, politicians who had built their careers on bribes and favors. The list of those who had fallen grew by the hour.Elena walked through the streets of Trastevere, where it had all begun. Dante walked beside her, his hood up, wearing dark glasses. They couldn't take any chances. Di Stefano had fled, but his men were still in the city."Do you think he'll come back?" Elena asked."I don't know. But if he does come back, it will be when we least expect it.Then we'll never be safe."Dante took her hand."We'll only be safe when they catch him. And they will catch him."The Police StationCommissioner Riva greeted them in his office with an expression that boded ill.Di Stefano has disappeared. Without a trace. The accounts we had frozen turned out to be fake. The leak
Blood and Badge Chapter 64: The Price of Truth
Northern ItalyDays LaterValentina walked along the lake shore, the icy wind cutting her face. She had been waiting for three days, keeping watch, wondering if she had made the right decision.Vittorio was hiding in the house, waiting too. The FBI was looking for him. So was the Italian police. But he had said it was necessary. To catch the real enemy, he first had to look like the enemy."Do you think he'll come?" Vittorio asked when she went back inside."I don't know. Elena is cautious. She learns from her mistakes.Like her sister.Like Sofia."The silence stretched on. Outside, the wind howled.Villa IsabellaElena couldn't sleep.Dante breathed beside her, calm for the first time in days, but she remained awake, turning Valentina's words over in her mind.The real enemy. The one behind it all. The one who used Salvatore, Vittorio, everyone.Who could have had so much power? Who could have manipulated one of the most powerful families in Italy for decades?She went down to the l
Blood and Badge Chapter 63: The Rift
Villa Isabella, Montes SabinosTwo weeks after the pactNormalcy was unfamiliar territory for Elena.After years of lies, infiltrations, and war, peace was almost harder for her than chaos. Dante noticed it in the way she woke with a start at night, in the way her eyes scanned every corner before she entered a room."You still haven't quite believed it," he said one afternoon, as she checked the door locks for the third time."What?""What have we gained? That there are no more enemies. That we can live."Elena stopped, surprised by the precision of his words."I don't know how to do it.""What?""To live without fear."Dante came closer, cupping her face in his hands."Me neither. But we can learn together."Elena closed her eyes, resting her forehead against his.What if we don't know?Then we'll invent a new way.The VisitThe next day, a car pulled up to the entrance.It wasn't Antonio Moretti's car, nor that of any known relative. It was an official vehicle, with FBI markings.El
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